This invention relates generally to surveillance systems and, in particular, to an assembly for mounting video cameras.
Surveillance system cameras have been installed in many different environments. When the installation has required a recessed mount, the cameras have been installed in recessed-mounted canisters (commonly called “back boxes” in the industry). The back boxes are typically attached by screws, bolts and so forth directly to structural elements, such as beams and joists, that are located above or behind the ceiling or wall to which the camera is to be mounted. This type of mounting requires access to the structural elements, which is frequently not available and requires that the structural elements be located at an appropriate distance from the ceiling or wall to accommodate the size of the back box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,432 pertains to an improved mounting assembly for applications where the back box is mounted to a ceiling, such as with a suspended ceiling, or hollow wall rather than to a structural element. This improved mounting assembly incorporates spring clips that are attached to back box so that the back box can be attached to the ceiling or wall rather than a structural element.
Although the mounting assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,432 was a significant improvement over the prior art in providing a method to attach a surveillance camera to a ceiling or wall, it requires the additional expense of a back box and the installation of the camera wiring through the back box. Accordingly, the industry has felt a need for a mounting assembly that allows a surveillance camera to be easily and securely installed in a hole in a support surface, such as a suspended ceiling or hollow wall, without the additional expense and installation requirements of a back box.